Beneath a Butter Yellow Sky
by Purple Shamrock 17
Summary: Oneshot. Complete. Keith/Book Thief crossover. Death's thoughts as he collects Keith's soul.


**Author's Note: I know you all probably think I'm crazy uploading another oneshot when I'm already writing two Keith fics and strangely this one also has to do with Keith's death. As the summary said this is a crossover with the book, _The Book Thief_. If you haven't read _The Book Thief _(which you should because it's amazing!) that's okay, all you need to know is that the narrator is Death. So enjoy and please review!**

**Special thanks to accicodanrad9 for the advice on the ending! :)**

Beneath a Butter Yellow Sky

The sky was the color of freshly churned butter when I came to collect Keith Zetterstrom's soul.

When I arrived, the hospital welcomed me like an old friend, much like cemeteries do, as I spend quite a lot of time in both.

Don't think that I_ like _spending time in them, though. Even though it would be very appropriate considering that I am who I am. But I have found that after awhile they, the hospitals that is, all start to look the same and I know them so well now that I don't even have to look at the signs. I just know. The soul calls to me.

And Keith Zetterstrom's soul had been steadily calling me for a long time. Too long for a seventeen-year-old boy.

**SOME FACTS ABOUT **

**KEITH ZETTERSTROM**

**His eyes were made of emeralds**

**and mischief, the harmless sort that is.**

**He had the amazing ability to be**

**incredibly aggravating and sweet**

**at the same time. **

**But only when he wanted to be.**

**He loved anything with wheels.**

**He also loved a girl,**

**but tried his hardest not to.**

**And he hated me.**

Forgive me, I must correct myself on some of those aforementioned facts. Keith did not hate because _he_ was dying (although I believe that he began to after he met and fell in love with, Natalie Anderson) he hated me because I had taken his mother three years previously.

Once I discovered that I would be making a visit to him soon, I watched him from time to time, just to gauge when that time would be and I realized something.

Keith did not deserve to die the way he did.

But I had to take him, thanks to the cancer.

**SOME POINTS OF INTEREST**

**You might think that cancer and I**

**are good friends.**

**Please, allow me to set the record straight.**

**I have no friends. **

**As awful as that may sound, it's true.**

**After all, who would want **

**to be my friend anyway?**

**Exactly.**

Cancer is not my friend at all. Cancer is an immature little trickster, eating merciless away at a person from the inside out, intent on destruction. While he makes my work hard since he is prone to dangle the dying soul in front of me for so long that I am compelled to come and collect it. Then when I arrive, he snatches it back and laughs mockingly in my face, thus allowing the person to live for a little while more.

So, truthfully, I probably hate cancer as much as one who has to suffer from it.

When I entered Keith's hospital room, I found him struggling to keep his eyes open as his father whispered soothing words to him. On the other side of him, his love, Natalie watched with tears glued to her cheeks.

I positioned myself next to her and waited for the moment when I could take Keith into my arms. I waited, column like for a few seconds before my attention focused itself onto the cracking man across from me. Henry Zetterstrom, Keith's father.

**A FEW FACTS ABOUT**

**HENRY ZETTERSTROM**

**His family was the most important**

**thing to him.**

**But thanks to me, **

**they were snatched away from him.**

**And yet he did not hate me,**

**as most men are prone to.**

**And because of that, **

**he is ****quite possibly the **

**bravest person I know.**

He was certainly trying to hardest to brave for his son in his final moments. His face was a crumpled piece of paper as he struggled not to cry in front of him. He did not want his son's last image of him to be of him crying.

But sometimes, crying can show courage more than impassiveness can.

Crying doesn't always mean weakness.

It appeared that Henry had finished saying goodbye as Keith turned his head to gaze at Natalie and I. I have no doubt that he saw me, even though his eyes sparkled with pain, he knew I was coming for a long time.

Their whispered words were lost on me. I imagine that they were parting words of love and finality; I've visited so many hospital bedsides that I don't pay much attention to final words anymore. Besides, I was focusing on my task at hand.

Believe me, I did not want to take Keith. It felt too much like a crime, a crime against nature to take something so full of life. So while he breathed his goodbyes to Natalie, I ran my fingers through his chocolate hair as a meager way to comfort him.

Hard to believe isn't it? But, yes, I _can_ be comforting.

It was when he gasped softly for the life giving air to fill his lungs that I knew it was the moment I'd been waiting for. As tenderly as I could, I picked up Keith Zetterstrom's soul and cradled him against my chest. Then, I turned abruptly away and left the room. I did not look back.

**A FACT**

**I carry only the children in my arms.**

**And yes, in death as in the laws of most countries,**

**teenagers are children. **

* * *

I carried him all the way back through the hospital and across the parking lot. As I did so, I watched the contents of his soul and after awhile, I realized that I had something very important to tell him.

I did not put him down until we reached a little park and sat down on one of the benches. There, Keith's soul regarded me with a multitude of expressions. I saw surprise, confusion, curiosity and a hint of satisfaction.

"So, you're death," he said finally.

"Yes," I replied. "I am."

"I gotta admit, you weren't at all what I was expecting."

"I never am, usually. What were you expecting, may I ask?"

Here, Keith's soul looked away, shame drenched his face. "I—I was expecting…my mom."

My black heart crumbled a bit then. Why, oh why did this boy have to suffer so much? Why did I have to do my job and ruin everything?

It was then that I made my confession. "I'm sorry, Keith."

**ANOTHER FACT**

**Usually, this is not allowed.**

**Since it is not my own fault**

**that a human being must die.**

**But even I can bend my own rules**

**when necessary**.

Keith's soul looked up at me, his face an exclamation point of surprise. "Sorry? Sorry for what?"

"I had no idea how much you loved her, Natalie that is."

His expression softened and he nodded, biting at his lip. "Yeah," he whispered. "I loved her...probably more than she ever knew." He puased and then added firmly. "No, I mean, I_ love_ her."

With this final declaration, I smiled as I took him into my arms again and we continued on our way across the sun soaked sky.

**SOME FINAL WORDS FROM **

**YOUR NARRATOR**

**Humans haunt me constantly,**

**but some souls can haunt me too. **

**There was one soul in particular, I knew**

**who would always haunt me and make me**

**despise my job even more.**

**And his name was Keith Zetterstrom.**

**

* * *

****Author's Note: Well, there you go! Hope it wasn't too depressing, I worked hard on this so I hope you liked it. Please review!**


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